Weather Conditions Today - Rough Water Seamanship - Every Boater Should Read

Yeah, they work now. Thanks

 

Very good info. I want to read it over and over again. I personally never intend to put myself in the position to have to deal with those kind of conditions, but I know inevitably, I may get caught in a thunderstorm. This is Florida. It strikes me how learning even some very basic things could possibly save your life. Thanks.

 

Great info. Thanks.

 

These are great articles. thanks for posting them. Safety is paramount, and you need to be prepared for anything. thanks again.

 

Lots of great info. I skimmed to the most pertinent stuff, although I don't plan on getting a boat next year.

Disclaimer: I may sound a little ignorant with the following questions.

Much to my chagrin, we are comprising and looking at a Deck Boat by SeaRay. I am looking at a 19' boat because I want to be able to use it for freshwater fishing and also we plan on having a jeep pull it, so towing capacity is a consideration.

Offshore fishing doesn't do much for me, but I would consider near shore fishing, especially since from Ponce to Port Canaveral it seems like the best shot at at tarpon is just beyond the breakers. However, to me it seems not worth the risk. I could always go to the gulf, but I live in North Orlando, so I expect most of my time will be spent in the intracoastal around New Smyrna and Titusville. My 2 concerns are fishing near shore in a small boat. I've seen skiffs and small boats beyond the breakers when I am at the beach, but I assume these people are either experienced or not very smart. The other thing is navigating the inlet at Ponce. I'd assume you should time entry and exit during slack tide.

Again, the disclaimer. I don't mind someone saying don't even try it in a 19' boat you moron

I guess another question would be fishing inside the inlet in such a small boat.

 

I have a 21' deck boat, it is great for inshore fishing and lakes/rivers. They are also real good for pulling kids on skis or floats, so nice dual purpose boat (an important consideration for those with kids/grandkids that enjoy that) and a good compromise to keep peace and also get a fishing boat, haha. Only got outside the inlet at Canaveral so far, have fished in the inlet at Ponce but only on semi-calm days and wouldn't hesitate to go out a couple miles if seas were calm but would change plans in a heartbeat if waves were higher than a couple feet or period was too short. There are certainly limitations with a deck boat but there are also benefits... it just depends on what you are looking for.

 

Sounds like we are in the same...oh never mind.

Our wedding has put the boat plans off, but that is out of the way now and we just need to pay down some debt. What started out as, "You are going to get your boat, you deserve it", turned into, "We need a comfortable boat so we can have friends come with". We found a deck boat to be a good compromise. As long as I can get the fishing package with the trolling motor and live well, I'll be happy.

I did say that part of the compromise might include a nice Kayak to tow behind for skinny water.

 

Just found these articles and gotta say, thanks so much for posting them. If articles like these are not worth the price of admission to this forum ( nothing really except for my time) norhing is. Great reading all around. Thanks Sam.

 

Good read. Very good info. I am still collecting gear for my boat. This has helped.

 

Great articles it this tread. Learned a lot. Thanks for posting.

 

Great stuff Sam. Thanks for posting it.

 

Great information Sam, thanks. I took a coast guard class about 25 years ago and two years later I got caught in a storm 20 miles into the Delaware bay in 8 foot swells. On a 27' inboard cuddy cabin. And I can tell you if I had not been thru that class I probably wouldn't be telling this story. What I'm trying to convey is a couple of bucks and a few hrs can save your life! Take the time.......it could save your life.

 

A lot of good info here. Here’s my two cents.

One thing that I didn’t see in these articles (and I searched the site as well) is, imho, one of the most important rules of navigating the seas and one that is sooo easy to do…

Give someone (not on your vessel) a copy of your SAIL PLAN (also called trip plan or float plan). Give it to your mom, your neighbor, whoever, just someone who cares about you returning (lol) so there is someone who can call the CG if you come up missing. The difference between someone calling the CG shortly after you have not reported in and saying “He was heading to Site 13 then off to Blah Blah Reef. He left at 8 am and was only supposed to be gone 4 hours.” versus someone MAYBE calling hours, days later and stating “Well, he left out of Deadman’s Inlet…I think” is astronomical AND POTENTIALLY LIFE-SAVING.

Your sail plan should include:

· The name of your vessel

· number of your vessel

· Type of craft (power or sail)

· Size and colour of your vessel

· Type of engine

· Distinguishing features of the vessel

· Your name, address and telephone number

· Number of persons onboard

· Trip description including:

• Time of departure
• Time of return
• Proposed route AND possible plan B’s

· Type of radio and channel monitored (if so equipped)

· List of safety equipment onboard including flares, life jackets, PFDs and life rafts

· List of electronics on board

· Emergency position indicating radiobeacon (EPIRB) # (do you have one?)

· Instructions in case of emergency

· The experience level of the individual in control of the vessel


Most of this can be typed up and just modified on a trip by trip basis. And don’t scrimp on the list of safety equipment. If you go missing, the Coast Guard will be asking someone these questions and they are not fun to ask to a very worried significant-other. I know first-hand because I had to call up my own mother and try get this info when my Dad, who was helping an “experienced” sailboat captain deliver a boat up north. I was in the radio room when we received the call via AM that their boat was hit by an bad storm, was without power and in trouble. That was it, probably 30 seconds of radio comms and then nothing. The “captain” had not filed a sail plan and I had to call my mom to try to track down where they had left out of, ascertain what kind of safety gear, etc.

That little bit of info, while it may seem trivial, can help the rescuers find you, ascertain how long you could survive, etc.

And do it EVERY time you head out, even if you’re just ducking out for a few quick hours in the Lagoon and the weather is beautiful. Get in the habit! Heck, I file a sail plan with my mom or my wife when I am just going out wading or biking through the backwoods. You never know what could happen and the same principals apply, the minutes saved by them knowing a close approximation of where to look could make the difference.


All right, here’s a few of the highlights from the articles (but if you’re a boater, you should take the time to read the entire article(s)).

I could tell you story after story of how a following sea has gotten an experienced boater, recreational and commercial alike, in to big trouble (typically when entering an inlet/crossing a bar). They are tricky and sneaky and take a lot of throttle control to do it right. All will seem well, then, boom, you’re broached over a breaking bar.

Don’t head out without considering the return. This includes knowing the weather forecast for the entire day.

Sometimes 4-6 footers can be more dangerous than 8-12. People will look at 8-12 and stay away. 4-6, not so much, not realizing how much force a 4’ breaking wave has to bring to bear on your vessel.

Know the area. Study some charts. Even if you are just running out of a relatively easy channel.

 

Thanks Sam. Working on reading it all.

 

This is the second time I have read the articles in this thread. Good stuff. Thanks.

 

Good info. Obviously you would not go into these conditions but sometimes they pop up between you and shore any extra tips come in handy. Plus some of us get greedy and stay out longer then we should when the bite is on. Learning lesson...

 

Terrific information. Too bad all you need to operate a boat on the water is to just get in it and drive. There's actually more skill to operating boats than there is operating a car. Trust your gut when you look out and think you might be getting in over your head, you probably are. There are more days on the calendar. Davy Jones' calendar stops the day you go down.